


foolish

by pumpkibum



Category: SEVENTEEN (Band)
Genre: Blood, Dismemberment, Implied/Referenced Suicide, Junji Ito - Freeform, Supernatural Elements, Violence, horror themes
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-10-19
Updated: 2020-10-19
Packaged: 2021-03-07 23:13:48
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,000
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26815669
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/pumpkibum/pseuds/pumpkibum
Summary: He has shoulder-length auburn hair, soft, pink lips, and a deep beauty mark on his right cheek right next to his nose.He is... Alluring.And Mingyu is terrified of him.written for snapshots challenge 3: supernatural
Relationships: Xu Ming Hao | The8 & Yoon Jeonghan
Comments: 8
Kudos: 13
Collections: Challenge 3: Supernatural





	foolish

**Author's Note:**

> for those who voted horror, and those who enjoy junji ito's works

“So... What do you think?”

Mingyu peers at the painting with eager eyes. He takes in the careful brushstrokes that depict a tired man with a sad smile and two moles right above the corners of his lips. It is devastating, heart-wrenching.

It is Xu Minghao.

He is a budding new artist, known for his young age and his paintings that can capture the sadness of absolute beauty. This is his second exhibition, and Mingyu came to support him.

Mingyu thinks he knows beauty, he is a photographer after all, but no one can express it as well as Minghao.

“It’s amazing, Hao.” Mingyu murmurs. He turns to face Minghao with a smile. “You’re incredibly talented.” 

“ _I_ think he looks a bit foolish.” An airy voice says from behind them.

They turn in surprise towards the speaker.

He has shoulder-length auburn hair, soft, pink lips, and a deep beauty mark on his right cheek right next to his nose.

He is... Alluring.

And Mingyu is terrified of him.

“And who are _you_ to say that?” Minghao asks with a raised eyebrow. No one has ever used the word _foolish_ to describe Minghao or his model Jun before.

The man takes a few steps closer, his shoes clacking against the ceramic floor.

“I am Jeonghan.” He introduces himself, offering a slender hand. “I think you could find a better model.” He giggles.

“Do you mean yourself?” Minghao deadpans. 

“Yes. I want someone to immortalize my beauty. No painter has been able to accurately paint how beautiful I am. I think you could be the exception.” 

“Why not just take photos?” Mingyu asks with his eyebrows furrowed.

Jeonghan glares at him. “Photos… Are a bit tricky. I would rather be painted.”

Mingyu exchanges a look with Minghao. He can’t seriously be considering this, can he?

Minghao presses his lips into a line. “Thank you for ‘kindly’ offering. I will think about it.”

Jeonghan smiles and presses a piece of paper with his phone number on it into Minghao’s hand. “If you are ever interested,” he says and walks away, leaving behind the scent of his cologne.

Mingyu glances at the piece of paper crumpled in Minghao’s hand and feels uneasy.

**. . .**

_how is it going?_

_could be better honestly._

_i feel like ive lost my inspiration._

_i told jun to go home._

_maybe you just need to get out of the house._

_maybe. ive been thinking about calling jeonghan_

_the guy that came to my exhibit._

_do you think that’s a good idea?_

_i don’t know what else to do._

  
  


**. . .**

Mingyu slowly enters Minghao’s studio. He grimaces at the musty smell, and steps over various empty, wine bottles.

“Hao?” He calls, and he sees Minghao sitting in front of a large canvas, wine glass filled to the brim in one hand, paintbrush in the other.

“He keeps saying that...It’s _foolish_. That I’m not capturing his beauty properly.” Minghao mumbles.

Mingyu stares at the canvas in shock. It is a portrait of Jeonghan with another face growing out of the side of his head. His eyes are completely white, and there are gashes surrounding the eye sockets. The mutated face has ripples in the skin and only half of it is visible, the other completely masked by Jeonghan’s unruly hair. The longer he looks at it, the more he feels sick to his stomach.

“M-Minghao…” He stutters. The painter turns to look at him with sunken cheeks, red eyes, and dark circles underneath. His hair is greasy, his clothes are falling off of him, and Mingyu has never seen him like this in his life.

“You...You need to stop.” Mingyu hesitantly reaches out for Minghao. “You need help.”

Minghao stands up. “Help!?” He screams, his voice is hoarse and raw. “I don’t need help, I need to...I need this to be perfect!” 

“But-“ Mingyu starts.

“Get out.” Minghao’s voice is low and cold. 

“Minghao-“

“Get out _right now.”_

Minghao grabs a nearby wine bottle and raises it over his head. Mingyu wastes no time and darts out the door. 

**. . .**

Mingyu is awoken by the sound of his cellphone ringing at three in the morning.

“Hello?” He answers without looking, voices still groggy from sleep.

“H-Hyung,” Minghao sobs over the line. Mingyu sits up immediately. It had been at least three weeks since he last heard from him, and Mingyu was incredibly worried. 

“Minghao? What’s wrong.” He asks.

“I-I killed him, hyung. I don’t know why. I just got so _angry_. He said I failed…Kept laughing...So I choked him until he stopped breathing. And then…” Minghaos voice grows dark.

“I cut him up. Made him ugly. He doesn’t deserve to be pretty... And I don’t deserve to be alive.” 

“Minghao, what-” but it’s too late, the line goes dead.

**. . .**

  
  


When the police arrive at Minghao’s studio, they recover two bodies. 

The floor of Minghao’s studio was soaked in blood, and Mingyu doesn’t know if he will ever be able to get the image of Jeonghan’s lone finger resting on the ground out of his head.

**. . .**

A few weeks later a memorial exhibition is set up for Minghao. It includes his old paintings of Jun and his new paintings of Jeonghan. 

Mingyu goes, and he stays for hours and hours, even after everyone else has left. He stares at the paintings of Jeonghan and wonders what went wrong.

The sound of heeled shoes clacking against the tiled floor startles him.

“They look quite foolish don’t they?” A familiar voice giggles behind him. 

No.

It’s impossible.

Mingyu slowly turns around and sees... _Him._

Jeonghan.

The same Jeonghan who was dead, whose limbs were messily chopped off in Minghao’s studio. 

Simply standing right behind him, perfectly fine. 

He has no words. He can’t believe his eyes. 

“What...H-How…” Mingyu stutters. “W-What...Are you?” He asks, his voice quivering.

“Me…?” Jeonghan tilts his head to the side. He smiles, amused. “I’m…” 

He holds a finger against his lips, as though deep in thought.

**_“Tomie.”_ **

  
  
  


**Author's Note:**

> jeongtomie


End file.
